Easy To Read, Relaxing Colors For Note-Taking?

[LostArk]

I'm back in school pursuing a PhD, which as everyone knows entails ungodly amounts of writing and note-taking. I normally enjoy a variety of colored inks, but I find that when re-reading pages upon pages of notes I've taken, vibrant colors (e.g. Iroshizuku Yama-budo) become visually exhausting. Does anyone have any suggestions for easy to read, relaxing colors with at least enough water resistance to be recoverable in case I drop my notebook in a puddle? Some of my current favorites in this category:

• Pilot Blue-Black — a workhorse / "default" ink. nearly waterproof
• Iroshizuku Kiri-same —enchanting and gentle grey that looks like hard pencil lead. surprisingly good water resistance.
• Sailor Chushu — I find black as visually exhausting as vibrant colors, so this is my go-to black alternative. nearly waterproof.
• Herbin Lie de The — very cozy shade of brown with useable water resistance.

So I've got blue-black, brown, and grey covered. Perhaps a dark blue-green is in order? A plum or dark violet?

[sombrueil]

R&K Scabiosa? Haven't tried this ink but it checks all your boxes.

 

One of my pens always has De Atramentis Document Black in it for writing checks, addressing envelopes, and the like. It is the most well-behaved ink I own. Lightning quick to dry, water-impervious, smooth as silk, and blackity black. I'd use it more except that black is so incredibly boring.

[LostArk]

R&K Scabiosa? Haven't tried this ink but it checks all your boxes.

 

One of my pens always has De Atramentis Document Black in it for writing checks, addressing envelopes, and the like. It is the most well-behaved ink I own. Lightning quick to dry, water-impervious, smooth as silk, and blackity black. I'd use it more except that black is so incredibly boring.

 

 

Thank you, I have a sample of Scabiosa and it's quite nice, though I have an irrational (or is it?) fear of iron gall inks. I suppose I could restrict use of such ink to my TWSBI's or whatever.

[ENewton]

Dark, dusky purples are my favorites for note-taking, but I don't tend to drop my notebooks in puddles or splash fluid on them, so I haven't had to look for water-resistant inks.

 

Scabiosa is a very nice ink in a wet enough pen. Do you get a dark line from Scabiosa in a TWSBI?

Edited October 12, 2019 by ENewton

[LiquidInk]

I find noodlers north African violet is a nice dark purple.

 

You going to color coordinate the notes?

[sombrueil]

 

 

Thank you, I have a sample of Scabiosa and it's quite nice, though I have an irrational (or is it?) fear of iron gall inks. I suppose I could restrict use of such ink to my TWSBI's or whatever.

It is far from irrational but Scabiosa is supposed to be untroubling in that respect, from what I can tell.

[LostArk]

I find noodlers north African violet is a nice dark purple.

 

You going to color coordinate the notes?

 

 

I don't go that far, I only keep two pens in my daily carry. I do like to pair two colors that don't clash, though. For instance, I think brown and blue are the quintessential complementary colors. If I pick up a violet / plum I'd want a dark copper / amber to go with it. I think red and green look like Christmas, so I pair green with gray instead.

[inkstainedruth]

If you pair green with grey, you might want to look at a medium or dark grey ink, like Diamine Earl Grey. I don't have any really dark greens except for Noodler's Luck of the Draw LE, and I don't really like it except that it's well behaved in the Noodler's Boston Safefy pen. Oh, forgot about Sailor Jentile Tokiwa-Matsu, which is definitely more green (LotD is more black with green undertones).

I would probably avoid copper/amber inks because they would probably tire your eyes out even more than Yama-budo (which I love, but understand where you're coming from; a really nice dark purple is Diamine Eclipse -- although it can feather and have show through on really bad paper). Have a look at dark browns instead (Iroshizuku Yama-guri and Edelstein Smoky Quartz LE are very nice).

I haven't used Pilot Blue Black -- but I would think that any blue black (especially the ones that don't lean teal) would suit. Favorites there include KWZI IG Blue-Black and IG Blue #3 (yeah, you shouldn't be afraid of iron gall inks -- they take a little extra maintenance is all), and Edelstein Tanzanite. I don't know how you feel about Noodler's inks in general, but Henry Hudson Blue (exclusive to Fountain Pen Hospital in NYC) is a nice blue grey. And recently I've discovered Sailor Souboku (which as a pigmented ink is a little more maintenance requiring, but really that just means a little more frequent flushing) -- it's not as teal leaning as Sailor Seiboku.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[aurore]

With a pen you can easily disassemble and a decent pen hygiene Sailor Souboku is the best choice. Or Sailor Kiwaguro, is you don't mind black. Pricey inks but exceptional.

[ENewton]

 

 

I don't go that far, I only keep two pens in my daily carry. I do like to pair two colors that don't clash, though. For instance, I think brown and blue are the quintessential complementary colors. If I pick up a violet / plum I'd want a dark copper / amber to go with it. I think red and green look like Christmas, so I pair green with gray instead.

 

 

I also usually have only two pens inked at a time. Right now I'm using Sailor Kobe Suma Purple (dark, brownish purple) with Sailor Kobe Taisanji Yellow (amber).

[DrDebG]

When I was doing my Ph.D. I found blues to be quite soothing - and it is my favorite color. I used Pelikan 4001 in Turquoise and Blue - mostly because it was easily available and it came in cartridges. But when I got my first Pilot Vanishing Point, I used Pilot Namiki Blue cartridges in it, and Pelikan 4001 Turquoise in my other FP.

 

Now when I do my note taking (yes, you will be doing this a great deal from now on), I also generally 3 pens at a time - one with a soothing blue, another with a soothing gray, and another with a very bright color for highlighting, marking up papers and general emphasizing (something like Rohrer & Klinger Fernambruk or Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji.

 

I would suggest that you find a variety of colors that you enjoy. Changing your colors does help with concentration. I also did all of my chemical "sketches" with my fountain pens, using one color for electron transfer and a different color for each element.

[Intensity]

All subjective, of course, but I think more muted colors with high enough contrast on paper (but not too high) and no dramatic shading are relaxing and easy to read. Examples:

 

R&K Scabiosa in wetter pen,

J. Herbin Bleu des Profoundeurs,

J. Herbin Vert de Gris,

Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo

Sailor Ink Studio #673

[Bhavna]

+1 on Diamine Earl Grey

Noodler's Lexington Grey is a favourite

Diamine Blue Velvet

Diamine Ancient Copper

Diamine Scribble Purple - deep and dark, very lovely for notes

KWZI Dark Brown

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama Guri a gentle brown

Also, Yama Budo for fun and punchy pink/magenta

Diamine Sherwood Green never fails to please

Ditto Mont Blanc Irish Green

I do love vibrant colours to liven up note taking. I cannot speak on colour fastness as I avoid puddles when armed with paper or books! Good luck. Let us know what you decide!

[JunkerJorge]

For my PhD work Iroshizuku Kon-Peki was by far my most used for notes and such, with some Noodler's 54th Mass and Zhivago for interviews and things that I wanted more bulletproof.

 

Noodler's Antietam for grading papers.

[Tom Kellie]

Now when I do my note taking (yes, you will be doing this a great deal from now on), I also generally 3 pens at a time - one with a soothing blue, another with a soothing gray, and another with a very bright color for highlighting, marking up papers and general emphasizing (something like Rohrer & Klinger Fernambruk or Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji.

 

I would suggest that you find a variety of colors that you enjoy. Changing your colors does help with concentration. I also did all of my chemical "sketches" with my fountain pens, using one color for electron transfer and a different color for each element.

 

~ 5Cavaliers:

 

3 pens at a time — that's comforting to read. It's reassuring to know that one isn't alone.

Your approach is so similar to mine.

Thank you for describing it.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

All subjective, of course, but I think more muted colors with high enough contrast on paper (but not too high) and no dramatic shading are relaxing and easy to read.

 

~ Intensity:

 

Yes to what you've astutely described above.

That's also what I prefer.

Thank you for explaining that.

Tom K.

[Arkanabar]

I'm in ADN nursing school, not PhD, but I still write a lot of stuff b/c that's how I remember retain information. Right now I'm keeping my jade acrylic Himalaya 1.0M stub filled with Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin diluted 1:1. It's still darker than a bic stic, but has some shading that keeps it from being the sort of black hole black I was seeking when I bought the featherocious Noodler's Borealis Black.

 

I have to admit that I'm using it because I want to be done with it. My dilute red-black (4:1 or so?) will be next, but (deo Gratias) it won't require further dilution to get it to behave.

 

Anyway, I guess my point is that with sufficient dilution, a lot of colors become quite a bit more subdued.

[g33klibrarian]

My current favorite for note taking is a purple-black --Diamine Eclipse. It's a black with a bit of character or maybe warmth to it.

[azbobcat]

I'm back in school pursuing a PhD, which as everyone knows entails ungodly amounts of writing and note-taking. I normally enjoy a variety of colored inks, but I find that when re-reading pages upon pages of notes I've taken, vibrant colors (e.g. Iroshizuku Yama-budo) become visually exhausting. Does anyone have any suggestions for easy to read, relaxing colors with at least enough water resistance to be recoverable in case I drop my notebook in a puddle? Some of my current favorites in this category:

• Pilot Blue-Black — a workhorse / "default" ink. nearly waterproof
• Iroshizuku Kiri-same —enchanting and gentle grey that looks like hard pencil lead. surprisingly good water resistance.
• Sailor Chushu — I find black as visually exhausting as vibrant colors, so this is my go-to black alternative. nearly waterproof.
• Herbin Lie de The — very cozy shade of brown with useable water resistance.

So I've got blue-black, brown, and grey covered. Perhaps a dark blue-green is in order? A plum or dark violet?

 

Ah!! The "Good Ol' Days", I remember them well... I finished my Ph.D. program 23 years ago - (GASP!! Has it been really *that* LONG ago?!?), I remember having to turn in my homework assignments in ink -- that is in FOUNTAIN PEN ink when I was in High School. Back then I used a Parker 45 Arrow and Quink. If you are looking for a water resistant -- or even waterproof ink I suggest that you check out Noodlers, they have a wide range of fountain pens inks in many different shades and colors. Try to avoid BLACK ink. Blue - Green inks are the most soothing to the eye.

 

During my years as a Graduate Student -- both through my Master's and Doctorate programs. I usually used a BLUE ink, but kept RED, GREEN, and PURPLE pens as well. When I went home at night and transferred my notes to a more permanent notebook anything I thought was important to remember I would then used one of my colored pens and underline it, before switching back to the BLUE ink. Mind you I was then using Ballpoints, not fountainpens, but the principle is still the same. Keep one or two pens filled with a BLUE ink for note taking, and 2-3 other pens filled with a RED, a GREEN, and/or a PURPLE ink to highlight important points post-lecture.

 

Me?!? I've come full circle and am back to using a fountain pen because my Parkinson's has made writing almost impossible but I have better control with a fountain pen then I do with a generic BIC PB which is God awful to use, though really EXPENSIVE Ball Points I can still use, as they tend to be almost as smooth as my FP. My favorite ink right NOW tend to be those made by Monteverde which has / is a "lubricated" ink. Many of the inks by Noodlers are also "lubricated". If you go to their website they will give a list of ALL their inks -- which ones are permanent, which ones are lubricated, etc., etc. etc. I *think* any Noodlers ink marked "eel" is a lubricated ink, but I can't remember if they are almost permanent or water resistant inks as well.

 

Hope this helps.

[Mech-for-i]

you know why recessing colour work best in these cases ... and of course paper too, more than often paper with whitener do not go well for long hours of reading ...